


the meeting and the spy

by spacebutterfly



Category: Inazuma Eleven GO, Inazuma Eleven GO Galaxy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 05:56:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebutterfly/pseuds/spacebutterfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minaho is always curious when it comes to human relationships; too curious for his own good, perhaps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the meeting and the spy

Minaho is the master of moving with stealth. It's of absolute importance when you want to creep up on someone, or if you want to keep an eye on an unwitting target – both things which Minaho partakes in extremely often. Because people are interesting, and no idea of 'personal boundaries' will keep him from finding out what he wants to know.

It's 5:30 AM. Minaho got up early today in order to carry out his latest investigation. The subjects in question have made their move already. Now he tails them, to find out where they've been disappearing to each morning before breakfast.

He yawns widely. Waking up an hour earlier than usual is surprisingly difficult. His affection for late nights isn't helping any. Still, he'll pull through for the sake of his sheer curiosity. Because there are some things he just has to Know.

He makes feather-light steps down the corridor, hiding periodically behind corners to avoid detection, but it may as well be unnecessary – Kusaka and Morimura are engaged in quiet conversation and don't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary at all. This is no real surprise, for they probably would never expect to be followed. Irritatingly enough, Minaho can't get close enough to safely eavesdrop on their conversation. All he can gather is that Kusaka's tone is gentle. Then again, it almost always is, barring during exceptional circumstances. The way he makes eyes at the object of his affections is nothing new, either. Minaho can see his expression in his mind's eye without even looking.

Minaho fixes his gaze on Morimura as he peers out from behind the nearest corner. It's her behaviour which will be the most telling in this situation, he imagines. For now, she looks relatively content and relaxed. Unfortunately, that's about the extent of what Minaho can deduce; she's always been the most difficult to read. Her lack of nervousness is, at least, fairly important, but recently she's become comfortable with almost everyone on the team, so it's not particularly telling. More evidence is required to confirm whether Minaho's hypothesis is correct.

As the two of them leave the dormitories and go into the main building, it becomes increasingly evident that they're going to the Black Room. There's more to hide behind here – chairs and desks, particularly, and this stage of Minaho's trailing goes by almost as painlessly as the first. Almost, aside from the part where he accidentally scuffles his feet on the floor and has to throw himself behind a chair as Kusaka turns around in an instant, muttering something about 'space rats'. Luckily, the pair don't investigate, but Minaho has to ignore the aching pain in his backside for hours afterwards.

He follows them all the way to the door of the Black Room undetected. The question is, what now? There's nowhere to hide in the Black Room itself. He could ask to join their practise, but subtlety is key here and Minaho won't be able to find out what he wants to know if the pair doesn't believe they're alone. Watching as Kusaka and Morimura close the door behind them, his mind is whirring. Will the door open for him after they've started a course? Will they hear the door open while they're in the virtual reality? Minaho feels like he should be able to answer these questions, but you don't remember these things when you're in there yourself, and to make a mistake now would ruin the careful effort he made to get here...

He edges towards the door and puts his ear to it. He can hear Kusaka's echoing voice.

“...hard mode. Yeah, this one for today? What do you think?”

Minaho furrows his brow. Morimura's soft reply is impossible to hear. After a few moments, Kusaka speaks again.

“Don't act so surprised! I learned to use it when I was helping Ibuki.”

Morimura must have commented on how well Kusaka knows how to work the machine. Minaho is slightly surprised himself.

“Let's go, then.” There's the sound of buttons being pressed, and then the electronic boot-up sounds of the system. It's all or nothing, Minaho thinks to himself. Hoping that Kusaka and Morimura will be distracted, he opens the door and runs into the room.

He's dizzied for a few seconds – the room is empty and bright and full of rushing water all at once, and his head hurts as his mind tries to adjust to what he's seeing. He crouches behind what looks like a rock, screwing up his eyes and clutching his head for several minutes before he remembers what he came here to do.

Shakily blinking his eyes open, Minaho looks around again – he's outside, and he can hear the coursing river, and the air is fresh and filled with droplets of water. Taking a deep breath, he peers out from behind the rock. The two must have chosen the water boarding course. Rubbing his forehead, Minaho makes a mental note never to enter the Black Room in mid-start up ever again.

He quickly reviews the situation. The course must have started around 5:45 AM, and it's a hard course, so it'll finish at 6:45 AM, just before breakfast. In the water boarding course you surf the entirety of the river, kicking soccer balls along the way, and get teleported back to the start in order to do it again as many times as possible before the timer runs out. The hard course is full of obstacles and strong currents: there's no time for talking, so there'd be no point in trying to keep track of Kusaka and Morimura even if he wanted to. For now, he'll just wait for the course to end (and for his thumping headache to go away).

***

Minaho has to stop himself from slipping into sleep for the next hour – as much due to boredom as tiredness – and it's the smooth robotic voice informing of 5 minutes until course completion that really jolts him awake. This next part is extremely important, because if he doesn't find a place to hide the moment the room changes back, then he'll have fallen at the final hurdle. Closing his eyes, he mentally pictures the empty room as he entered it. Right now he's by the door. Kusaka and Morimura are in the middle of the room. The controller is by the wall. Would it be possible to hide by it? But to do so, he would have to pass by the pair of them anyway...Minaho feels like his brain is about to short circuit from too much thinking. But thinking his way out of tight spots is his job.

Course complete, booms the voice, and Minaho isn't ready yet; his body freezes as the river washes away and the empty room returns. Kusaka and Morimura are sat in the middle, red-faced and wheezing. Just a small glance to Kusaka's left would mean Minaho's discovery. Practically holding his breath, Minaho considers his options. A sudden movement in the corner of their vision would draw their attention immediately.

“Thirsty,” pants Morimura, looking up at Kusaka. He looks down at her, showing Minaho the back of his head. Taking this chance, Minaho skirts the wall to the right corner of the room, then pauses to make sure he wasn't seen. By all accounts, he should have been, but the pair do not seem concerned with what's going on around them.

“Ah, damn, I forgot to bring the water bottles. Stupid,” Kusaka is muttering.

“It's okay,” says Morimura, smiling. “We'll remember them next time.” Minaho edges to the controller and sits with his back to it, making himself as small as possible. If either of them look directly behind themselves, they'll see him easily. “Thanks for training with me again,” Morimura says quietly, after catching her breath. “I want to catch up with everyone...”

Kusaka gives her a look. “What are you talking about? I'm the one trying to catch up with you. You brought out your Soul before anyone else. That's pretty amazing.” Blushing a little, the girl stares at her fingers.

“Thanks. Although...Ichikawa-kun already knew how to use his. He used it for his kabuki. That's what he told me.”

“Oh, did he,” says Kusaka, with a tone of forced neutrality. Minaho tries not to laugh. “It's still amazing. I haven't felt mine at all. I keep thinking there's been a mistake.” He chuckles weakly.

“That's not true,” says Morimura seriously. “Coach Kuroiwa is always right.”

“Yeah, that's right...” The taller boy sighs. “I guess you can't rush these things.” The two of them sit there quietly for a few minutes.

They'll be late for breakfast at this rate, Minaho thinks – but is there something to be deduced from the way the two of them enjoy each other's quiet company? Perhaps it signifies that they're getting closer, slowly...  
Minaho's eyes widen as Kusaka lays a gentle hand on Morimura's shoulder. She looks up at him, meeting his gaze curiously, though there's not a drop of apprehension to be found on her person. Neither of them are uttering a word. Minaho can feel his own pulse quickening. He was waiting for a development like this, but part of him didn't actually expect it to happen – would it really happen? 

“Morimura,” says Kusaka softly, leaning closer to the girl, whose face is flush. Her eyes don't leave his as he continues, “You know, I really admire you...”

For the first time, Minaho is struck by the thought that he shouldn't be there. Kusaka and Morimura had not done anything to warrant being spied on, and their relationship, whatever form it took or is taking, is of no concern to him or anyone else. Kusaka's confession had been public, made in front of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, but right now, for whatever reason, he's chosen to speak to Morimura in private. Minaho has no real right to be hearing any of it.

It's too late to realise that now, though.

If Minaho can feel his heart in his throat, it must be nothing compared to what the two in the middle of the room are feeling. He just barely hears Morimura's whispered 'thank you', and he can read the indecisiveness of her expression, like she doesn't know how to respond any further.

Kusaka lightly presses his lips to hers, and Minaho has to stop himself from letting slip a noise of surprise. He has to strain his ears to hear what Kusaka says next, his lips still close to Morimura's. “Sorry. I won't talk about this again.”

Morimura makes a small noise of but- wait-

“I'm just being selfish,” Kusaka says, taking his hand away from her shoulder and moving away again. His voice has lost its tact, it's more shaky now. “I just wanted to be the first.” He looks down, smiling just a little. Morimura gazes up at him with wide eyes, but doesn't answer. Minaho wishes she would. Kusaka's voice returns to it's normal volume, it's normal cheerfulness. “Let's practise again tomorrow, yeah? Ah,” he flinches, as if just remembering something, “We're gonna be late for breakfast!” He stands up and makes for the door, not giving Morimura a second glance (nor noticing Minaho at all). Morimura slowly follows after him, wringing her hands and looking to be in deep, deep thought as she walks through the door.

The door clicks shut behind them and Minaho lets out a deep breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding. He'd heard and seen a lot of things he shouldn't have, and half of him feels guilty for it, and the other half is revelling in the new information he's learned.

The most annoying thing is that he knows now that he ought not to meddle. He'll have to act as if he never heard a thing. And that's going to be very, very difficult.

He buries his face in his knees, sighing loudly. People are interesting, but mostly they're extremely frustrating.


End file.
